Caregiving at Home

Tips for providing in-home care for a loved one

Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses can carry out skilled care prescribed by physicians, such as monitoring medications and teaching recipients and their families about special care procedures. Professional therapists provide respiratory, physical, speech and occupational therapies in the home.

At the end of life, hospice care in the home or a facility can provide professionally coordinated support services, including pain and symptom management, social services, and emotional and spiritual support for the terminally ill and their families.

These groups provide emotional support and information sharing among people who are also caregivers.

Geriatric care manager

A professional who performs an assessment of a person's mental, physical, environmental and financial conditions to create a care plan to assist in arranging housing, medical, social and other services.

These services provide temporary relief to regular caregivers from a few hours a day to several weeks. The care can be in an adult day center, a nursing home, in the home (usually short term) or elsewhere. Most provide companionship or supervision when care is needed for only a few hours at a time.

Tips for linking with community services

Identify needs

You can do this on your own, or you may hire a geriatric care manager to conduct a formal assessment of needs and suggest sources of assistance.

Do research

Find out what community services are available where your parent lives or tap into the expertise of a local geriatric care manager, social worker or hospital discharge planner. Check with your area Agency on Aging, community or faith-based services, and your local department of social services for available programs.

Compare costs

While you may be able to find free or subsidized services, some may be offered only on a short-term basis. If Medicare, Medicaid or other insurance provides coverage, find out the limits.

Check out quality

Since there is limited government oversight of long-term care services, the consumer needs to check the quality of services carefully.

Visit facilities to learn about the activities, types of people participating and whether it's a good fit.

Be organized. Specialists on aging suggest developing a file system for all the agencies or services you research. Information you learn now may be useful later.

Be sensitive. Acknowledge your parents' reactions, but know your own limits. Although your parents may prefer that you or other family members provide all their care, it may be best for everyone for you to get some help.